Having been on a long road trip, I noticed that every time I switch off the engine, there is a grinding noise coming from the engine. Took the van in to Toyota for a regular service, they could not find anything wrong. I then took it to an alignment place having replaced all four tires. They heard the noise straight away and think it is a worn bearing in the cooling fan in the alternator. The car only has 22,956 miles on it. If some one can help with this issue I would really appreciate it. Thank you.
I’m not sure how much help anyone can give you by internet. Someone has to find the noise, and it can be difficult to pinpoint such things. Does it only happen with the engine off? Or is that just the only time you can hear it?
I can say that the alignment shop probably said/meant a bad bearing in the cooling fan for the radiator. This would make sense & wouldn’t be difficult to verify or remedy. So I guess I’m not sure what the question is.
Thanks for the response. The noise only occurs briefly once the engine is completely switched off. So my question is what could be causing this? Thanks
Thank you for the clarification.
If the noise is heard only after the engine is shut down, then the alternator is not the source of the problem. As cigroller stated, it is possible that the bearings in the cooling fan(s) are going dry, but after only 23k miles of driving, even that is unlikely.
I suggest that you try another repair shop.
I did go to a repair shop who briefly looked at it. The mechanic seemed to suggest that it may be the tensioner pulleys (serpentine belt tensioners). I am planning to take it again to my Toyota dealership to see if they can figure out what the noise is. Thanks for all the help, really appreciate it.